Until the year 1929 there was no free public children's library service in the city of Montreal.  At that time, the "Local Council" (as the Montreal Council Of Women was then called) invited Maysie MacSporran, a young McGill graduate, to join the Council as Chairman of Education. Influenced by Elizabeth Murray, and her love of books and belief that every child should have the opportunity to enjoy books, Council initiated a project to establish a children's library. Having raised $3000, the first branch of the Montreal Children's Library was opened in the Fraser Institute under the guidance of Violet McEwan.

A volunteer Board of Directors met monthly to direct the library's development. New branches were opened in response to community needs. Over its many years, the library has served communities in over eighteen different locations. 1938 saw the MCL established as a charitable association and the first grant of $500 was received from the City of Montreal.  

The library has now expanded its services to include audio-visual collections, computer services and book collections in Greek, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese and other languages in addition to English and French.

The MCL is dedicated to bringing books and children together. A love of reading and literacy go hand in hand. Hundreds of children, from many cultures, use our four multilingual branches. Young patients at various hospitals are visited weekly by our librarians. The original mission, to provide library facilities to children and families in communities where no such service exists, remains the same today.